Without a doubt, Mass Effect 4 is one of the most anticipated games on the far horizon. With BioWare’s signature style and a combination of the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies, the game has a ton of potential. Mass Effect 4 is also reportedly using Unreal Engine 5 to boot.
Yet, beyond just the visuals and the return to the beloved franchise, the story is going to be one of its biggest driving factors. The Reapers are gone, plenty of Andromeda mysteries remain, and hundreds of years potentially pass. It’s a lot to take in and it remains to be seen how BioWare handles it, but a recent product description may suggest that Shepard is still alive and coming back somehow.
YouTuber MrHulthen noticed a peculiar item description on the N7 Day lithograph the BioWare Gear Store. Titled Mysteries of the Future, this Mass Effect 4 lithograph's product description originally read: “While Shepard and the survivors are left to pick up the pieces, fans are left wondering what’s next.” The direct reference to Shepard is noteworthy, but so is the fact that—shortly after this—BioWare changed it to the following:
“The threat of the Reapers may have been ended, but at great cost including Earth itself. While the survivors are left to pick up the pieces, fans are left wondering what’s next.”
The inclusion and removal of Shepard, seen around the 1-minute mark in the above video, could very well hint at their inclusion in the upcoming game. Whether Shepard is playable or takes on a background role in Mass Effect 4 remains to be seen, but Shepard and Batman share a similar saying. If someone can be Batman, they should be; if someone can be Shepard, they should be. After all, Shepard not being playable would upset many fans, and they would instantly overshadow Ryder or Mass Effect 4’s new protagonist.
There is, of course, the possibility they survive. While it would seem that Shepard sacrifices themselves to defeat the Reapers, the Destroy Ending (which appears to be Mass Effect 4 canon) has a scene suggesting they’re alive. This isn’t the only reference Mass Effect has made to Shepard’s survival, but it is perhaps the most concrete.
Mass Effect 4, at last report, is in the earliest stages of development, so it will be some time before fans see the game manifest. It should be noted, though, that Shepard’s actors have expressed interest in returning for Mass Effect 4, so should BioWare truly elect this route, then it may not just be a familiar face.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.
Source: MrHulthen (via VGC)